Ink compositions and preparation

Abstract

A composition useful in printing inks exemplified as comprising: (A) from about 0.1 to about 60 weight % of one or more polyester materials having an acid component of from about 75 to about 84 mole % isophthalic acid and conversely from about 25 to about 16 mole % 5-sodio-sulfoisophthalic acid, and having a glycol component of from about 45 to about 60 mole % diethylene glycol and conversely from about 55 to about 40 mole % 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol or ethylene glycol or mixtures thereof; (B) from about 1.0 to about 60 weight % of pigment material blended with said polyester material; and (C) from about 10 to about 90 weight % of water admixed with alcohol selected from methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol or mixtures thereof, preferably n-propanol by itself, in a weight ratio of water to alcohol of from about 99/1 to about 1/1.

We claim: 
     
       1. A composition useful as or for the manufacture of printing inks comprising: (A) from about 5 to about 60 weight % of polymeric material of at least one linear, water-dissipatable polymer having carbonyloxy linking groups in the linear molecular structure, the polymer having an inherent viscosity of from about 0.1 to about 1.0 measured in a 60/40 parts by weight solution of phenol/tetrachloroethane at 25° C. and at a concentration of 0.25 gram of polymer in 100 ml of the solvent, the polymer containing substantially equimolar proportions of acid equivalents (100 mole percent) to hydroxy equivalents (100 mole percent), the polymer comprising the reaction products of (a), (b), (c) and (d) from the following reactants or ester forming derivatives thereof; (a) at least one difunctional dicarboxylic acid;   (b) from about 4 to about 25 mole percent of at least one difunctional sulfomonomer containing at least one cationic sulfonate group attached to an aromatic or cycloaliphatic nucleus wherein the functional groups are;   (c) about 45 to about 60 mole % diethylene glycol; and   (d) about 55 to about 40 mole % 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, ethylene glycol or mixtures thereof;     (B) from about 0.1 to about 60 weight % of pigment material dispersed in said polymeric material; and   (C) from about 10 to about 90 weight % of water admixed with alcohol selected from methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol or mixtures thereof, in a weight ratio of water to alcohol of from about 99/1 to about 1/1.   
     
     
       2. A composition of claim 1 wherein: (A) the polymeric material comprises one or more polyester materials having an inherent viscosity of from about 0.28 to about 0.38, and an acid moiety of from about 75 to about 84 mole % isophthalic acid and conversely from about 25 to about 16 mole % 5-sodiosulfoisophthalic acid;   (B) the pigment material is present in a weight ratio with respect to total polyester materials of from about 1/8 to about 4/1 blended with said polyester material; and   (C) the water/alcohol mixture comprises from about 30 to about 70 weight % of the composition.   
     
     
       3. A composition of claim 2 wherein said acid moiety comprises from about 80 to about 83 mole % isophthalic acid and conversely from about 20 to about 17 mole % 5-sodiosulfoisophthalic acid, and said glycol moiety comprises from about 52 to about 56 mole % diethylene glycol and conversely from about 48 to about 44 mole % 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol. 
     
     
       4. A composition of claim 3 wherein the weight ratio of water to alcohol is from about 85/10 to about 95/10. 
     
     
       5. A composition of any one of claims 1-4 wherein the pigment is one or a mixture of the following color index materials: C.I. Pigment Yellow 17; C.I. Pigment Blue 27; C.I. Pigment Red 49:2; C.I. Pigment Red 81:1; C.I. Pigment Red 81:3; C.I. Pigment Red 81:x; C.I. Pigment Yellow 83; C.I. Pigment Red 57:1; C.I. Pigment Red 49:1; C.I. Pigment Violet 23; C.I. Pigment Green 7; C.I. Pigment Blue 61; C.I. Pigment Red 48:1; C.I. Pigment Red 52:1; C.I. Pigment Violet 1; C.I. Pigment White 6; C.I. Pigment Blue 15; C.I. Pigment Yellow 12; C.I. Pigment Blue 56; C.I. Pigment Orange 5; C.I. Pigment Black 7; C.I. Pigment Yellow 14; C.I. Pigment Red 48:2; and C.I. Pigment Blue 15:3. 
     
     
       6. An aqueous-alcohol ink of the composition of any one of claims 1-4 wherein the polymeric material comprises from about 10 to about 40% by weight thereof. 
     
     
       7. An aqueous-alcohol ink of the composition of claim 6 coated onto a substrate selected from metal foil, newsprint, bleached and unbleached Kraft paper, clay coated paper, glass, calendered paper, stainless paper, paper board, and films or other substrates of polyester, polycarbonate, cellulose ester, regenerated cellulose, poly(vinylidiene chloride), polyamide, polyolefin, or polystyrene. 
     
     
       8. A substantially water-insoluble coating or print on a substrate, said coating or print comprising a composition of claim 6 wherein said water and alcohol have evaporated and a substantial portion of the initial metal cations of the water solubilizing sulfonate groups of the polymeric material has been replaced with an insolubilizing cation. 
     
     
       9. The method for preparing the concentrate of the composition of claim 1 comprising the steps of: (a) dispersing said polymeric material in deionized water;   (b) adding said alcohol to the dispersion of (a) with agitation to obtain a substantially homogeneous mixture;   (c) adding said pigment to the mixture of (b) with agitation to form a pre-dispersion blend; and   (d) grinding the blend of (c) to reduce the pigment particle size to less than about 6.0 on the NPIRI scale.   
     
     
       10. The method for preparing an ink from the composition of any one of claims 1-4 comprising adding to the composition either or both of (a) a dispersion of polymeric material in deionized water, and   (b) a water-alcohol mixture, to reduce the viscosity of said composition to between about 15 and 35 seconds on a #2 Zahn cup, the amounts of said dispersion (a) and/or water-alcohol mixture (b) added being such as to give good printability and flow-out on the particular substrate to be printed.